a world of café stories

La Ristrettos, Singapore

By KENNY MAH and CK LIM

Singapore is a coffee and café haven. We know this yet we despair sometimes of finding a spot that is not overrun by crowds on the island. Some place other than the run-of-the-mill hipster café (complete with industrial chic décor and bearded tattooed baristas) would be most welcome.

Imagine our surprise when we managed to uncover a secret sanctuary… hidden in a hospital of all places! Make that the eighth floor of the Novena Medical Centre, a brisk walk from the Novena MRT station. Who knew?

The café itself is fairly functional: exposed brick walls, communal table, the crackle of the espresso machine and the hiss of the steam wand. It’s the space outside (yet inside; inside the medical centre, that is) that astounds. Lush greenery, from tropical plants to tall stalks of bamboo , wooden walkways and rattan furniture.

We sip on our coffee and juice here; we take our time over bites of crab cakes and pancakes (the former arrive with an English muffin, avocado, lemon aioli and a fried egg on top; the latter adorned with banana, scrambled eggs, bacon and salted caramel sauce).

swan artwork for the latte, nice! and the sunny-side-up looks exactly like how i love it … big, creamy, runny yolk, with a crispy edge for the egg white. reminds me of the good kampung eggs that my grandmother got from the chickens she bred 😀